I started learning PHP and I was able to get myself familiar with it. Now, i want to explore other programming languages like PERL so that i can compare it myself to PHP. Will I be confused to learn two language? Or are there any disadvantages?

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4 Answers
4

I would spend some time getting decent at your first language, but once you have done that start exploring. There are a lot of languages out there and a lot of them are nicer then PHP or do something better.

I would take a look at the book "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks" which will walk you threw Ruby, IO, Scala, Prolog, Erlang, Clojure and Haskell which will make you learn a whole bunch of new ways to code.

I think that's a good approach. Particularly importantly, it teaches you different languages. Learning Perl after PHP is not going to give you nearly as much insight as learning Prolog or Haskell!
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Tikhon JelvisJul 15 '12 at 4:34

qualify getting decent at PHP please? Because getting decent at PHP is way different that getting decent at say C++, Erlang or ASM.
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Jarrod RobersonJul 15 '12 at 6:46

good enough to get stuff done I guess. in truth my default rule for PHP is avoid if at all possible. One of my least favorite languages
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Zachary KJul 15 '12 at 7:09

Learn anything that interests you. If you want to learn Perl instead of studying PHP go ahead. The most important thing is to be learning something. In my opinion, knowing multiple languages at some level makes a better programmer than knowing only one in depth.

I too started out with PHP. It's a good first choice as there is a pretty large community, and there is a good chance you can pick up a job writing it.

I wouldn't recommend picking up another similar language (such as PERL, Python, etc), as ultimately, you won't probably learn much other than more syntax. However, you might take some time and brush up on your javascript. jQuery is great, but that choice is yours. The best part? You can use both at the same time, so you can continue to grow professionally in both directions.